Chapter 92: The Hero’s Bluff
I froze, unable to comprehend what had happened. The horrified cries of patrons and whores felt distant to my ears, a muted buzz amidst the roaring pulse in my ears. Moving in a daze, I stumbled toward the gaping hole, but Soltair caught me first. He jerked my arm, pulling us outside, where we got a good look at the carnage caused by my unintentional spell.
"Gods," Trithe whispered, staring at the twitching corpse of the once-breathing man.
His body was bent in multiple unnatural angles, twisted and broken almost beyond recognition. Long, jagged lacerations ripped through his clothes and flesh, dying his corpse and the street crimson.
"Xiviyah," Soltair said, his voice stern and low. "What have you done?"
"I-I...I didn’t mean to," I finally stammered. "He tried to...and you didn’t...I didn’t mean to."
Why? Why did he have to assault me? Why couldn’t Soltair stand up for me? Why didn’t I feel anything? Even as my shock faded, the dead man before me evoked nothing but a slight twinge of horror. Even the restless spirits of the dead priests were silent, their usual condemnation absent.
I wondered why no one was fleeing the brothel yet, and turned to look through the open doorway. Oh. A mass of people crowded against the counter, pushing and shoving to get as far away from the incident as possible. Spectators had begun gathering in the street, pointing at the carnage and calling for the guards. Already, the distant gleam of an approaching patrol glinted at the far end of the street, and I knew it was only a matter of time.
"What’s going on...good gods!" Mistress Bilgon cried, coming up short as she burst through the door. "What happened?"
Soltair and Trithe looked at me, eyes flat. I shivered, seeing naked hostility bared on their faces for the first time. Taking a deep breath, I decided it was best to explain myself before more conclusions were reached.
"I’m sorry. He attacked me, and I instinctively reacted. I didn’t mean to kill him."
Her eyes widened as she looked between me and the corpse. "But you’re a slave! How could you kill..." Her eyes flicked to Soltair, whose expression darkened.